𝗟𝗔 𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗗 𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗥 𝗖𝗢-𝗢𝗣𝗦 𝗜𝗡 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗛𝗨𝗕

In a significant boost to local cooperative governance, the municipality of La Trinidad forged a landmark partnership with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) to establish the first-ever Cooperative Mediation Hub in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

The memorandum of agreement for the establishment of the said hub was the highlight of the 2025 La Trinidad Cooperative Congress on Monday at the municipality’s gymnasium where hundreds of cooperative leaders and members attended.

The initiative positions La Trinidad as a pioneer in cooperative dispute resolution in north Luzon as the project will provide a mechanism to solve cooperative disputes amicably.

Mayor Roderick Awingan said the hub will become a venue to boost cooperativism without resorting to court litigation.

Lawyer Maria Lourdes Agamata, legal officer of the Cooperative Development Authority, said the mediation hub will provide a crucial venue for amicable settlement of disputes, as mandated by the Cooperative Code of the Philippines.

"It is an instrument of self-governance, offering a confidential, speedy, and cost-effective alternative to court litigation for conflicts arising among members, officers, and the board,” she said.

Agamata said that the hub will facilitate mediation and conciliation proceedings by utilizing CDA-accredited conciliator-mediators.

She said that this will ensure the resolution of internal cooperative conflicts by experts who understand the cooperative principles and legal framework, thereby safeguarding the unity and stability of the organizations.

Agamata said that the CDA has become determined to make all cooperatives in the country adopt to the hub.

Awingan pledged the local government unit’s support to the hub, saying that the necessary logistics will be provided to ensure the smooth operation of the hub.

“Being the first in the region to host such hub, we are most willing to cooperate and be the first to show that dispute among cooperatives can be solved through an amicable solution without necessarily leaving one party feeling aggrieved or jeopardized”, he said.

Author: 𝘋𝘖𝘊

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